Daycare Application Packet for New Daycare Enrollment

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There is so much paperwork required to enroll a new child in your daycare. Check out this daycare application packet for what it should include. Running a home daycare takes a lot of paperwork and organization.

Making a daycare application packet helps you have everything at the ready for when your family comes to check out your program. There are many things that need to be in that packet to keep your paperwork on track. In Oklahoma, there are several required items that should be included. Click here to see how to nail a childcare interview. Check here for more Daycare provider tips for home daycare. And check out the home daycare regulations that everyone needs to start with here.

If you don’t use a childcare contract, you should. Childcare is your livelihood and your paycheck. This is a business and a serious one. Get a contract made and make sure each family signs one when you agree to provide care for them. Click here to see more about daycare contracts. 

Click here to see questions you can ask potential clients in an interview for childcare.

• The DHS Child Information Form. This is helpful anyway because it provides you with all the useful information you need to provide good care. Emergency contact numbers, food allergies, and all the other pertinent information on the child. This is the start of a great daycare application packet.
• Food program paperwork. You need to have them fill out a form for that as well as give them the building for the future sheet. You should have their copy ready to go in their daycare application packet. Make sure to include a copy of your cycle menu in your packet for parents as well.

Daycare enrollment forms

• The contract covers time and money but if you don’t allow kids to bring toys or food from home, that needs to be covered in your policies and printed up for parents to keep. Goals should be set for each year and a copy given to each family. Oklahoma just added a bunch of required items for your policy booklet, click here to see how I worded mine. For reasons why you need a contract, check this out. For a contract and policies bundle, check this out.
• Medication permission. If you want to administer bug spray or Neosporin to a child, the parents must sign a form allowing you permission to use that on their child. I have a form that covers peroxide, band-aids, Neosporin, bug spray, Tylenol, or anything else parents may want me to use for their child. Of course, if you give them medication, it must be brought from home by them and be labeled with the child’s name.
• Business cards. I attach 4 of my personal cards to the front of the packet so mom, dad and grandma can all have my contact info in the wallet. Another great tip to use business cards for is if you take the kids on field trips, you can slip one in each child’s pocket. If you should ever become separated, your contact information is on their person. Another great safety tip is to make a notebook for the car. Each child should have a sheet with their picture and contact information for their parents. If you were to get in an accident and something should happen to you, the authorities would know who all of the children belong to. Safety first!
• In Oklahoma, we are required to have parents sign annually a notice to parents and an insurance declaration. 
• Media permission. If you wish to use the children’s pictures on social media or text them to parents, you need to include permission to use their pictures in that way. I have this as part of my daycare application packet. My form just says Christina has my permission to use my child’s picture on social media, in print, magazines, books, etc. This gives me permission to put the children’s pictures on my blog, but if you don’t blog, you still need permission to use them electronically.
• My daycare application packet also includes our daily schedule and our yearly preschool goals. 

Home daycare enrollment packet

Having your daycare application packet prepared ahead of time saves you a ton of time running around getting one prepared for an interview. If you have openings coming up, you should always have twice the number of spots you have.

You never know how many you’ll need to give out before you fill a spot. You should always have a handful of packets ready at any time. I have a notebook full of interview packets ready and waiting should I need one.

The saying luck favors the prepared is so true. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Get your interview packet ready ahead of time and cut a lot of chaos and stress from your life.

Have the parents fill out the forms and return them to you. Don’t forget to get a copy of their child’s shot records. When you sign an agreement with a family to provide care, make sure to put the parent’s number in your cell phone preceded by the number 1 so all of your parents will be at the beginning of your contacts in case of emergency. It makes it easier to send out announcements in bulk too.

For editable forms or even a custom packet made for you, check out Daycare Time Solutions here. They make excellent products and are wonderful to work with. I’ve loved everything I have bought from them!

And for more daycare provider helps, Thriving Childcare also has great tools! I wish there had been resources like this when I started my business!

For more help with your daycare business, click on these tips.